Beauty unleashed the Beast
by The Lady Arturia
Summary: A series of interconnected scenes spanning over ten chapters that tell the tale of how Lily's decision to find a cure for Remus' lycanthropy went horribly wrong.
1. Chapter 1

**A/n: This is written for the Hogwarts Writing Club on HPFC. Each drabble chapter will grow by a 100 words (i.e. chapter 1 will be 100 words, 2 will be 200, etc.) and there will be 10 chapters (as this is how the challenge works). They are all interconnected to form one whole story and each chapter will be based on a word prompt which will be the chapter title.**

* * *

 _ **For Abby, with love**_

* * *

 _i. bleakly_

* * *

She ran.

She didn't know where to, but she ran.

Through the tall grass, through the winding forest path; over the gnarled roots and under the low-hanging branches, she ran.

When she finally came upon a clearing, her heart filled with dread. There was nowhere left to run—nowhere left to hide.

As she stood catching her breath, a bone-chilling snarl sounded from behind her.

She froze.

When the snarl sounded closer, her body seemed to jerk into motion, but instead of running like she should've, she turned and faced the beast.

Hazel eyes— _usually so kind_ —gleamed with bloodlust.

She had nowhere left to run.


	2. Chapter 2

**Also written for the Insane House Challenge on Hogwarts. Character: Lily Evans.**

 **Word count: 206**

 **The bit in italics that isn't the rhyme is a flashback. The lines interspersed between the lyrics tie back to the previous chapter.**

* * *

 _ii. hickory_

* * *

 _The familiar Muggle children's rhyme played on repeat as she tried to fix the broken music box, annoyed that magic was proving to be useless for the task._

" _Need help?"_

 _She looked up, breaking into a smile when her eyes met hazel ones, scooting over so Remus could sit down beside her._

" _You're up late," she remarked as she watched him fiddle with the music box._

" _Couldn't sleep."_

 _She eyed him with worry. "Did the painkillers wear off again…?"_

 _He didn't answer, his brows furrowed in concentration as he continued with his ministrations. He sat back a moment later, shutting the lid of the box then reopening it. A little wooden mouse spun around a grandfather clock whose hands swiveled uncontrollably._

 _Remus frowned. "Sorry, I thought I could fix it."_

 _She reached over with a sigh, but just as she made to close the lid, the rhyme started up again._

 _Hickory Dickory dock_

"Remus," she called, reaching out a trembling hand. "Remus, it's me."

 _The mouse ran up the clock_

Another snarl as hazel eyes flashed crimson.

 _The clock struck one, the mouse ran down_

"I'm sorry," she sobbed, backtracking as the beast approached.

 _Hickory Dickory dock_

"I thought I could fix you; I'm so sorry."


	3. Chapter 3

**Also written for the Insane House Challenge on Hogwarts. Character: Remus Lupin.**

 **Word count: 305**

 **The prompt was [frontier], and I've interpreted it as making a breakthrough (which can be considered "the extreme limit of understanding or achievement in a particular area") in something.**

* * *

 _iii. frontier_

* * *

"You don't have to go this far, Lily," Remus pleaded as he tightened his grip on her elbow. "I know you want to help, but this is too much."

"Nonsense," she admonished, flapping her arm out of his grasp, her brows furrowed in concentration as she added another ingredient to the potion. "I've been at it for months; it hardly makes sense to stop now."

"But Lily," Remus said, his voice dropping when she brought a fingers to her lips. "It's the middle of the night!"

"Exactly! So don't get us caught!"

Just as she said that, there was a noise from outside. They snapped their heads to eye the empty doorway.

"We'll be in so much trouble if we get caught," Remus said, licking his lips.

" _If_ being the keyword," Lily said as she stirred the potion until it turned a gunmetal grey. "Damnit, did I mess up again?"

Remus' eyes were still on the door when Lily let out a little gasp. He turned to see that the potion now looked like liquid silver, and his heart began to race. Had she actually managed to make a breakthrough?

Another sound from outside made him bounce on the spot nervously. "Come on, Lily," he hissed. "You could lose your Head Girl badge if we get caught!"

"Always the worrywart," she remarked, although she sped up the process of corking the vial and waved her wand to clean up any traces of potion-making. They snuck out of the Potions classroom, Remus throwing the Invisibility Cloak over the two of them, and hurried up the way they had come.

Once they were safely inside the common room, Lily held out the vial with a huge grin.

"Now we just have to inject this into you, and, hopefully, it'll be a more permanent solution for your Lycanthropy."


	4. Chapter 4

**Word count: 406**

* * *

 _iv. bottomless_

* * *

" _Remus, you_ need _to let me in!"_

" _Go away!"_

" _I'm the only one that can help you!"_

 _A strangled scream sounded, followed by a pained whine._

" _Remus," she gasped, sobbing as she pressed her hands to the door. "Remus, please."_

 _There was a long moment of silence followed by the sound of the door unlocking. She turned the knob and stepped in, swallowing down a gasp when she found him curled up in the corner of the rundown room, scratches and bite marks covering his body._

" _Remus?" she asked as she slowly neared him._

 _He raised his head in the slightest, and their eyes met. One of his irises were wide and the pupil was a slit. Tears poured out of the other._

 _Chapped lips quivered and a raspy whisper tumbled out of them. "Help me."_

* * *

She tripped over a root and fell on her rear end. Scrambling backwards, she tried to swallow down her fear.

The beast continued to approach her, the muscles over its front legs rippling with every movement. Its teeth were bared and drool dripped from its maw. Both its eyes were bright red, their pupils slits.

She fumbled in the bag slung over her shoulder until she was able to find the syringe she was looking for. Hiding it in the folds of her dress, she waited for it to near. Her eyes fell on the exposed skin just below its right ear. If she could just…

As though sensing her intentions, the beast roared and lunged. She screamed and lurched to the side, almost losing her grip on the syringe. The beast was on top of her in an instant.

She looked up at it, the gaping wounds and unhealed injuries on its skin evident from this close. Guild flooded her, constricting her airway and making it hard to breathe.

"Oh, what have I done," she sobbed.

The beast paused as it snarled at her. She made a motion with her other hand to distract it and stabbed the syringe into its neck, pressing down hard. It reared back with a howl, thwacking her hand away.

The syringe skittered across the cold ground. There was no hope left. She felt a sharp pain on the side of her neck as dagger-like canines pierced her skin. A shudder ran through her body as warmth spread across her burning shoulder.

She coughed blood and called out to the empty forest.

"Help me…"


	5. Chapter 5

**Word count: 506**

* * *

 _v. tree_

* * *

 _She rocked back and forth as his body writhed and convulsed. He grunted and moaned, but with every movement, the hair on his back and forearms shrunk and the claws on his fingers turned back into nails._

 _Soon enough, the boy lying in her lap was the same lanky one she knew so well. When he looked up at her, his eyes were hazel again._

" _Remus?" she asked._

 _He reached up to tuck her hair behind her ear and smiled. "Hey."_

" _Oh," she sobbed, pressing her forehead to his, the tears falling onto his cheeks. "Oh, Remus."_

" _You saved me," he said as he ran a soothing hand up and down her back._

 _She hiccupped and shook her head. How she wished that were true._

* * *

A shudder passed through her as the beast let go of her and moved away, the blood from her wound seeping into the ground.

From the corner of her eyes, she watched as it curled up with a little whine, its body convulsing as it warped and shifted. Finally, a familiar figure rose up, thick hair clinging to his now strong forearms and lean shoulders.

He turned to her, and she noted that although his eyes were hazel again, the pupils were still slitted. She swallowed thickly.

She had been right, although she wished so much that she was wrong: the damage couldn't be undone. He would forever remain that way, a cross between man and wolf.

A low growl escaped his bared teeth as he fell to his knees beside her and pressed a hand to her bleeding shoulders. His eyes were wide with fear and dread.

"Did I... ?" When she only continued to stare at him, unable to answer, he whimpered and bowed his head. "What have I done…"

"Remus," she managed, coughing blood. "Help…"

He eyed her for a moment, a moment long enough for her to sense his hesitation, and she wondered if he thought that her death would break the curse she had forced onto him. How she wished it were that easy.

He moved away a minute later, and she could hear the sound of wood shattering. He brought back a piece of bark and matted roots from the nearby tree and proceeded to use it as a splint for her arm. Ripping the bottom of her dress, he wrapped it around her bleeding shoulder and brought her uninjured hand to press against it.

"Apply pressure here," he said as he gingerly hoisted her up in his arms. "I'm going to take you to a hospital now, OK?"

"No!" she gasped, coughing blood again, a shudder running through her from the heavy blood loss. "It's not safe—"

"I can take care of myself just fine," he interjected, somewhat harshly, then cast her a pleading look. "But you need help."

She eyed him for a long moment before settling her head against his warm chest with a resigned sigh. And to think, all this while, she had thought _he_ was the one that needed saving.

"OK."


	6. Chapter 6

**The next few chapters will be flashbacks while she's unconscious from her injuries, and the italicised text is her going in and out of consciousness while dreaming. I've interpreted "legion" as a large number of 'things', which will make sense towards the end of this chapter.**

 **Word count: 603**

* * *

 _vi. legion_

* * *

 _When did it start? The end._

"I don't want to do this anymore," he said, shoving aside the vial.

"Remus!" she admonished. "You can't just stop! If you don't take the right number of doses—"

"I won't get any better?" he interjected with a growl. "Well, we don't have to worry about that, do we?"

She pressed her lips together. "I know you're frustrated, but so am I. You know I'm doing my best here."

 _When did they form? The cracks._

He threw his arms in the air. "I don't understand why you even bother! What are you trying to accomplish here? Talented potion maker or not, this is clearly out of your range of expertise!"

"What do you mean, what am I trying to accomplish?" she huffed. "You know all I want is to help!"

He rounded on her then, teeth bared, eyes having an almost animalistic glint in them. " _Help_? Don't you mean _fix_?"

 _When did it snap? The sanity._

"Admit it, Lily! I'm just another one of your pity projects now that Snape is out of the picture!"

"Remus!"

They glared at each other, their frustrations evident, and as tears prickled the corners of her eyes, his softened. "I'm sorry," he said with a sigh. "I know you mean well. I just…" Another sigh. "I'm just so _tired_ , Lils."

 _When did they break? The bonds._

"I know." She hugged him, relaxing only when she felt his arms circle around her and pull her close. "But don't let's give up yet. I know I'm close. I just need a little more time—"

There was a clatter just then, and the duo turned to see James staring at them with his mouth hanging open, having just returned from his patrol. "What the bloody hell's going on here?"

 _When will they end? The lies._

They jumped apart, each struggling to speak. James' face coloured, his frown deepening. "I know there's a sensible explanation to this because I know the two of you so well, but I'm too tired to think rationally right now, so I'm going to go sleep on it. And I expect to see you upstairs in two minutes, Remus."

So saying, he spun on his heel and strode up the stairs to the boy's dormitory.

 _When will it make sense? The truth._

"You told me you told him," Remus said. When she didn't respond, Remus grabbed her by the arm, his anger palpable. "You told me he knew!"

"I was going to tell him!" she hissed, angry tears spilling down her cheeks. "But how do I even begin to explain to him that I'm endangering his best friend's life for an over-ambitious experiment?"

Remus shook his head, looking away. "This has to end, Lily. Too much is falling apart. We hardly sleep, hardly eat, hardly talk to our friends—we're spiralling, and we have to put a stop to it before it gets out of control."

 _When will it end?_

"Leave if you want," she hissed, "but I'm not going to stop. I've come too far—invested too much—to just give up now."

Remus' expression was sad. "Why are you willing to go this far, Lily, when you have more to lose than gain?"

 _When?_

"If you're asking me that at this point, you're more obtuse than I thought you were," she said, her voice breaking. She pointed towards the stairs. "Go. Before he comes back down and creates a scene."

"Fine, but I'm telling him."

He brushed past her, and she closed her eyes and let the tears fall. How had things fallen apart so quickly? Where had she gone wrong?


End file.
